William Day is currently at the top of my Day tree. I was very lucky to have a ‘Day tree’ c/o my Day grandfather back in the 1980s, which took me back to the mid-1800s. During my visits to the Family Records Centre – back in the day! – I managed to develop the information, locating the Day family in Cheshunt in 1851, before the censuses were digitised. Oh heavens, I remember that visit vividly…. page-by-page of the microfilm for Cheshunt…. Ugh! Now, I can just put the name into Ancestry and up it pops (HO107/1704/257/9):
William was recorded as ‘widowed’ having lost his first wife just prior to the 1851 census, perhaps in child birth. But it is not this William who heads up my tree – guess what? His father was called William too!
This William was William Henry Day, son of William and Grace Day, baptised 11 July 1815 Margaretting, Essex (Source ref: D/P 235/1/12):
William (senior) married Grace Penny on 29 October 1814 in Margaretting (Source ref: D/P 235/1/15):
Neither William nor Grace had been married prior to 1814 – or so this record implies – but the 1841 census makes interesting reading for the ages of William and Grace! He was 65 and she was 43 (HO107/326/1/14/21):
Thomas and Grace Stubbing(s) were son-in-law and daughter of William and Grace, Grace Day having been their second eldest child (after William). William and Grace had seven known children: William Henry, Grace, James, Sarah, Charles, Charlotte and Elizabeth. Some of these names may help in tracing the Day/Penny lines further back in time…..
So, a few questions remain regarding this William Day:
- Where in Essex was he born? [He died in 1848, so is not found on any census detailing a more precise birth place.]
- Was Grace actually his first wife, or was he married before?
- Who were his parents?
Is anyone connected to this Day line from Margaretting, Essex? I’d love to hear from you!
